


I Didn't Mean to Leave You

by Olinoil



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Volleyball
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-10-12 11:40:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17466884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Olinoil/pseuds/Olinoil
Summary: Catra and Adora is the duo everyone knows about. Adora the preppy jock and Catra the cunning trouble maker. Adora quickly became popular but stuck by Catra like they promised they would as children.Adora has been scouted to join the school's volleyball team alongside fellow classmates Glimmer and Bow. The three become close while Adora unintentionally parts ways with Catra.Stuck with the difficult decision of what to do, Adora tries her best to regain the friendship her and Catra once had.





	1. Friendly Team

Stretching my limbs after all the running I had to endure, I ponder to myself whether or not I should continue track. I enjoy running and it's a good fitness sport, but I haven't been as enthusiastic as I used to be about it. I sigh, staring at the locker infront of me while changing into appropriate school atire. Black jeans and a simple white t-shirt with a red jacket, though I could probably get away with wearing my track outfit for the day.

"Hey, Adora." An almost seductive voice catches me off guard. I've become accustomed to the surprising entrance no matter the circumstance, but at times I forget it happens. I laugh in response to the girl who is now leaning on a nearby locker with her hands in the pockets of her red hoodie and a smirk stuck to her face.

"Hey, Catra." I respond, closing my locker and start walking towards the classrooms. Catra follows me at my side. "So what have you been up to today?" Her face brightens.

"Oh you have no idea, first I chased this bird from my house to the fountain next to the station. Then I caught it and start to run to school with it. I dropped the bird when I saw some of the junior year levels playing with nerf guns and decided to join in on the fun." Looking at the girl next to me jump in excitement was always amusing, considering that no matter the day, something interesting always seemed to happened to her. "Professor Hordak caught us and blamed it on me though. I know I'm the oldest but I only joined in half way through the game." She groaned exaggeratively, ears and tail drooping momentarily. She quickly shifted her attention to me. "Track this morning?"

"Yeah, if I'm honest I really am not sure how I feel about it anymore. Last year it was so exciting and new to me, but this year it just seems like everyone relies on me to carry the team." I sigh and look to the brick building in front of us. "I'm thinking of quitting." I state simply.

"Quitting the track team? You're one of the fastest ones there, they all look up to you and support you" Catra has always supported my decisions since we were young, always questioning whether my thoughts lined up with how I felt. She stares me in the face before coming to the conclusion, "You really aren't happy to be there anymore, are you." I return her empathetic smile with a smile of my own.

"I feel like I'm the only one there sometimes. The school winning relies solely on me and never the other students." I don't want to come across as ungrateful for my skills but when it's the only thing people expect of me then I get discouraged. I notice as we walk into the building a lot of the other students are starting to arrive, many of which greet me. Normally when I'm on my own they start a conversation with me or ask questions about things. On the other hand, whenever I'm with Catra they keep their interactions limited to a quick friendly greeting. Catra steals my attention from the other students.

"Why don't you join a team sport?" I look at her with interest. Team sports had crossed my mind before but I wasn't sure of how to feel about them.

"Team sports? What are the options?"

"Pfft, I don't know. I don't pay attention to what people talk about when they scout me." She casually waves her hand to me, lowering her shoulders in a confident manner.

"You've been scouted before?" I ask almost shocked as she's never mentioned it before. Scouts are very strict with their candidates. They pick the best they can find. You'd be out of your head to reject a scout who sees potential in you.

"I've been scouted so much I can't even count." Catra shakes her head sighing.

"You mean you declined all of those scouts?" I frown at her. She shrugs at my expression.

"Pretty much. Although I did accept one. Maybe you can try it." Catra laughs as we enter the classroom. I remember her talking about starting to play a sport but she quit after her first season.

"Volleyball? I don't know Catra. I've never played volleyball before." I'm nervous at the thought even trying a new sport. I walk over to the window and watch the soccer players wrap up their training for the morning.

"You should give soccer another chance. You are good at it after all." Catra smirked, pointing a thumb to the players. Memories of constant soccer tournaments and training for hours resurfaced in my mind.

"Was. I was good at it. I doubt I have the skills to dribble the ball across the field as well as I used to." I correct her, reminiscing over the past. I sigh at the thought of stumbling over the ball. "I should just stick to track. It works for me." I feel a tail wrap around my wrist, the fur is soft to the touch.

"You'll grow to hate track if you keep doing it." I quickly glance at Catra's concerned expression, knowing she's right. She's always been right in these kinds of situations. Her analysis of things is incredible. How she does it is beyond me. "Why don't you just not do any sport?" She off-handedly suggests, knowing my answer.

"I can't just give up sport. It's one of the only things I'm good at." I can't help but feel torn by that thought. I've said it so many times over the past few years. It started off as an exaggeration but developed into an insecurity. Whenever I think about what I'm actually good at, I realise sports is my only good trait. I never know when people praise my athleticism whether I should be happy or loathe it.

"Bullshit, Adora. How many times do I have to tell you that sports isn't the only thing you're good at. Who even told you that in the first place?" Catra was practically yelling in my face. This was the normal reaction I got from her after saying something like that. Always trying to prove otherwise. It makes me happy that she tries. However, deep inside I feel she's lying. She pinches the bridge of her nose. "Nevermind, after school we're going to the courts. You better not forget." Catra pats my shoulder and walks to her desk, leaving me confused.

"Um, why." All she did in response was give me a smirk and a wink. Whenever she does that I never know how to feel or what to do, so I just stand there watching her carry on with her day in wonder as someone has to snap me out of it. It was like a trance of sorts. Sometimes when I over think it Catra can be... intriguing, to say the least.

\-------------------------

"Catra. Okay, okay. Let go of my hand, I'm coming. You don't have to drag me. I'm not going anywhere else." I try to pry my hand out of hers. She looks back and narrows her eyes at me.  _You better not._  She lets go of my hand and runs off. I wave to some students waving goodbye to me. "What are we even doing here? Why are there metal pol-"

"Catch." Out of the corner of my eye is a ball flying towards my face. My fast reflexes manage to catch it. I am left to wonder how Catra was able to run to the sports shed and throw a volleyball at me in such a short amount of time. "Nice one. We are going to try to find what sport suits you. I'm not letting you continue track when it doesn't make you happy."

"Right. What are the metal poles doing here?" I point to two poles opposite each other standing up on the court.

"I snuck out of class earlier to set those up. Volleyball is hard to set up without a team." She's pulling a large net out of the shed.

"Who gave you the keys to the shed anyways?" I run to help her carry the large net to the courts. She grins to me.

"Who gave them to me? I did. No one would willingly give them to me." We drop the net on the ground. That behaviour was expected coming from Catra.

"So you're saying if we get caught, we are in trouble." Despite my tone I'm smiling. She comes face to face with me, inches apart.

" **If** we get caught, yes. We won't though. Now help me with the net so I can start teaching you digs and spikes." Catra rolled up her sleeves and was on one end of the net waiting for me to settle myself on the other end. "Just tie the rope around the pole. It's not important."

"Is this good?" She glances at the knot and rushes for the ball.

"Should be fine." I sigh thinking about starting yet another sport. Volleyball was one of the only sport I had never tried. Catra has played it since we were little and took pride with the fact that she played it and I didn't. "Come, I'll show you the basics. We can start with digs. Hold your arms out with your palms facing up." She showed me as she explained the little details of each position on the court and when each move is necessary.

"How's this?" I show her my hands.

"Hmm, more like this." She demonstrates again with her hands. I attempt to mimick it but her patience is running thin. She laughs at my confusion. "Here, just let me move these fingers." She physically moves my hands into their respective positions. "Also make sure the ball hits just above the wrist and not your hands."

\-------------------------

"Hey, you two." Catra and I freeze to look at each other, letting the ball fall to the ground. "What are you two doing?"

"Hey, Glimmer." Catra slowly waves to the short girl. The boy next to her is try to convince her to leave us alone. "We were trying out different sports so Adora could have a better understanding of team sports before she chooses one. We have only tried volleyball though." Catra had spent half an hour teaching me the basics and we had gotten straight into sparring.

"Is Adora quitting track?" Glimmer's eyes are wide. From an outsider's perspective, I can understand why someone would be surprised.

"Yeah, I'm not sure I like track as much as I used to." Glimmer glances up to the boy next to her, tugging at his croptop.

"Hey, Bow. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" They are both smiling from ear to ear.

"Definetly." His eyes seem to be gleaming. "Adora, how would you like to join the volleyball team?" I can only stand there stunned trying to process what is happening.

"Adora. They're scouting you." I look to Catra, then to the pair, and back at my friend smirking to me. She had been scouted by these two before and joined the volleyball team. She knows the two better than I do. I look at them again.

"You are?" Bow and Glimmer nod with excitement.

"We saw you and Catra play. You picked up the sport pretty quickly. What do you say?" Bow seems like he might leave his own body with how excited he is.

"This is sudden. I, uh." I plead for help from Catra.

"Could you two give her some time? This is very sudden and we still have to think about the other sport she could go for." Bow face changes to guilt.

"Oh, right. Sorry about that. We got a bit excited. Totally take the day to think it over." Glimmer elbows him in his side. "Ow, what was that for?" Catra and I notice the staff start to exit the buildings behind the two.

"Crap, we need to pack this up. Stat. Adora, help with the net."

\-------------------------

"Catra~, What am I supposed to do?" I jump on the couch in our living room, sprawled out. I sigh as Catra closes the door behind her and sits on the floor in front of the couch. She comes over to my place all the time and only lives a couple doors down from my house. We've decided to have a sleepover tonight. "Catra~, Help me." I wrap my arms around her neck and shake her.

"Get off me." She attempts to swat me off. "Do whatever you want." She eventually gives up against my tight grip. A silence soon falls over us. Catra sighs. "Do you want to join the volleyball team?" I take my arms away from her and lay on my back.

"I'm not sure. Maybe." Catra shuffles at my side and is silent. "Hey, Catra?" She answers with a muffled  _hmm._ "Would you be jealous if I joined?"

"What? No! I'm not jealous. Why would I be jealous? It's just volleyball. Get over yourself." She crossed her arms and turned her back to me.

"Are you sure you aren't jealous? I'm going to start playing the sport you played and be friends with your friends." I laugh and reach for the top of her head. I gently pat it, ruffling some of her thick hair in my hand.

"Stop~ I'm not jealous." Catra stiffles a purr. Being part feline, her hair is sensitive to this sort of treatment. I start to scratch her head. "Adora, this isn't fair." I sit up and glide my fingers through her hair until they're right under her ears. Her weak spot. "Adora~ Stop this isn't fair~" She's given in and has started purring. She leans into my hand, nuzzling against my arm. "This isn't... *purr*... fair." The threat in her voice has completely faded as she relaxes.

"Don't worry Catra. I'm not leaving you." I speak softly. She smacks my hand off her and jumps on me.

"I'm not jealous." I grab hold of a nearby pillow on the couch, hitting her across the face. She stares at me with a smirk. "Oh you're on." She dashes to the other side of the room, slyly pinching a pillow on the way. She turns around to me in a defensive stance. "Come at me, princess." We charge at each other pushing and shoving with the pillows as shields. She kicks my legs off the ground making me fall on my back.

"Really, Catra? That's really low." I'm not impressed, neither am I surprised. It reminds me of all the pranks we would do to each other.

"Low? You're the one on the ground." She laughs at her remark. I tackle her legs which makes her fall to the ground. "Adora! How dare you." She wraps her tail around my waist as a reflex. I crawl on top of her so we are face to face.

"Now we're even." We are both staring at each other trying to be serious but I burst out laughing. Catra follows suit, laughing with me. She stops laughing before me as I try to calm myself. When I can focus again, I notice she's just staring at me. I can't tell what emotion she's feeling, she just looks relaxed. "Catra?" She flinches and blinks at me, almost like she just remembered where she was. She throws me to the side and positions herself on top of me.

"This feels better." Smirking, she uses her tail to tap my chin. I start laughing again.

"You mean you want a hug?"

"Wait, what? No. I never said that"

"Come here, Kitty." I wrap my arms around her shoulders and press her onto me.

"Don't call me that. Let go." I start to stroke her hair. I feel her muscles loosen in my grasp. "Hey, this is unfair." She wraps her tail around my wrist to pry it away but doesn't try to.

"Aw. Kitty wants a hug? Kitty likes hugs." I start talking as if I'm talking to a baby. Catra sighs and starts to whine.

"Don't call me that."

"Is Kitty angry?"

"Shut up."

"Aw, poor Kitty" She groans and rolls her eyes. "Kitty likes being Kitty doesn't she." A short silence falls in the air.

"I don't." She mutters into my chest.

"You like being Kitty?" She nuzzles into me.

"No."

"Good Kitty." I continue to stroke her hair. Her ears are perked up and her tail is wagging back and forth. We lay there for a few minutes exchanging simple small talk and some good laughs. While we are silent I can feel a soft vibration coming from her. "Are you purring?"

"Shut up." She starts to thrash around in my arms. "You're making me purr."

"Kitty is adorable when she purrs." I laugh. Catra stops completely, purring and all. "Kitty?" No reply.

"Catra?"

"...Shut up" She mumbles under her breath.

"Whaat~" I playfully chime. She breaks out of my grasp.

"I said Shut. Up." She hovers over me, staring. I notice her face is slightly red. "I'm a free cat now." She hits me in the face with a pillow and runs off out of the room towards the stairs.

"Hey. Damn it Catra. I'm going to catch you." I rush to my feet.

"No you won't." She calls from up stairs. I chase her to my room. I find her perched on my dresser. She jumps to my bed. I pounce on her without giving her any time to react, my arms are holding hers by her side.

"How dare you try to escape me." We laugh again.

"You attacked me."

"I was just hugging you."

"Nope, you attacked me." I jump up to be face to face with her, smiling from ear to ear.

"No, this is attacking you." I hold her shoulders down with one arm and scratch her chin with the other. The feline is trying to wriggle out but can't under my weight. She giggles trying to suppress her purrs and defeat.

"Stop. Pur- this isn't fair. Ahaha, no. Adora!" She tries to push me off of her but I move my shoulders so she can't get a good grip on them. "Okay, okay. You win, ahaha. Stop." We are both out of breath. I fall to her side laughing.

"Have you given up, Kitty?" I tease. She sits up.

"Of course not." We keep laughing. We take a second to breath. She stares at the wall for a bit before turning to me smiling. "Do it again?" She's quiet and hesitant, though I'm not. We are hugging again, I scratch her head like before. Catra is purring against me. I close my eyes.

We always somehow ended up like this whenever we visited each other. Always fighting or arguing, ending up a quiet mess somewhere. Anywhere really. It was comforting. I always felt at ease with Catra around, whether it be us talking or simply being in each other's presence. Sometimes we fall asleep like this, though she normally sleeps at the foot of my bed. When we aren't staying at each other's place it feels empty. I always end up missing her.

"Hey, Catra."

"Yeah."

"I think I'm going to join the volleyball team." She looks up at me, her eyes seeming sad.

_Please don't._

"Okay."

\-------------------------

"Welcome to the volleyball team, Adora. I, Glimmer, am the captain of the team. Bow is co-captain. Those are the other team members. I'm sure you know them though. Team, welcome our new teammate, Adora." At Glimmer's call, everyone gathered around us. As Glimmer had assumed, I already knew everyone in the team. Mermista, Sea Hawk, Entrapta, Perfuma, Rogelio and Kyle. Sea Hawk stood forward.

"Ah, dear Adora. What a time to be alive for you to be placed on my team. Have no fear, I lead this team to victory." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pointed to the sky. A ponytail with purple hair pushes him to the ground.

"How facinating. Adora joining the volleyball team, despite being a top runner in the track team. If anything, I'm more excited to get the chance to talk to about your natural talent for sports. You seem to pick them up quickly." Entrapta holds a voice recorder with her hair up to me. "If you don't mind, what's your secret?"

"Come on, guys. Give Adora some space." Bow claps his hand for attention. Rogelio picks up Entrapta from her collar and carries her away from me as she banters about his strength. "Training is starting as soon as Glimmer gets back." I turn around to find her near the school building, talking to a teacher. "Let's start setting up the net." The team scattered off the get the equipment.

"What am I supposed to do?" I pat Bow on the shoulder to grab his attention. Every member seemed to have a set role to do. He looks to the team to see what they're doing.

"Ask Perfuma if she needs any help carrying something. She's always had trouble when it comes to lifting." I nod, walking to Perfuma who is struggling to carry 2 containers stacked on top of eacher other. Rogelio leaves with a metal pole over his shoulder and offers to help but Perfuma declines.

"Hey, Perfuma. Did you need any help carrying that?" I point to the containers which almost slip out of her fingers. She smiles at me.

"This? Oh, no. I'm fine. I don't want to trouble you on your first day. Wah!" She trips over her own foot, letting the containers slip out her fingers. I dive and manage to catch them. "I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay. Let me carry these." We start to walk to the courts together.

"Thank you. Um, out of curiosity, why did you quit track? You won all of your races."

"I wasn't enjoying it as much as I used to."

"Really? Didn't the other track members make it fun." I wholeheartedly wish they did. They only cared about my results in track.

"I guess, but I wanted to try something different."

"I guess that makes sense." In the distance Sea Hawk was singing and dancing around Mermista who was standing still, arms crossed and rolling her eyes.

"Mermista, Mermista~ Come to me, my dear love. Mermista, Mermista~" He bowed his head in a curtsey fashion and kissed her hand. He then held her hand in his and stood close to her. "May I suggest we travel later tonight to a place far away with a little... privacy." He strokes his moustache and smiles to Mermista who looks unimpressed. A ball comes flying from the other side of the net, hitting Sea Hawk in the face. He stumbles to the ground. Mermista smiles and laughs at the sight.

"Sorry." Kyle calls from the other side of the net. Entrapta picks up the ball with her hands, serving the ball to him and Rogelio.

"You have impecable aim Kyle. Nice one." Entrapta give him a thumbs up. Kyle spikes the ball up towards the net.

"It was an accident." Rogelio jumps up to the ball and perfoms a hit. The ball is slammed to the ground but is intercepted by Entraptas hair.

"Incredible hit, Rogelio." Entrapta rushes to the net. Rogelio nods in reply.

"Thank you." Entrapta grabs the net.

"Tell me your secret." She pulls out the voice recorder again. Bow spikes the ball back into the air.

"Entrapta, focus. Mermista-"

"Got it." Mermista jumps to the ball, mimicking Rogelio's previous trick. The ball is about to hit the ground when a hand slides under it.

"Don't worry, team. Sea Hawk has come to save the day." He winks to Mermista. I watch entranced by the sport. Perfuma stands next to me, laughing at my reaction.

"It's fun. Everyone has a good time, no matter if we are winning or losing." Bow is squinting to the sky.

"That was too high Entrapta."

"Oops, my bad." She just shrugs. Mermista is running past Bow.

"You're in the wrong spot." She dumps the ball into the oppositions side of the court. Kyle is running to the ball but Sea Hawk pushes him.

"I've got this." Rogelio being too focused on Kyle can only dink the ball over the net, giving Bow the opportunity to run up to the net and slam it to the ground before the other team can react.

"A magnificent point for us." Entrapta raises her arms in the air and high fives bow with her hair. "Good rally, guys."

"What are your thoughts on volleyball so far Adora?" Glimmer says from behind me. I look at her, then back to the team. Rogelio is helping Kyle to his feet. Bow and Sea Hawk are a bragging to each other about their skills. Entrapta and Mermista are analysing the skills of the team. I've never seen a team play a sport and be as friendly with each other as this team is. It's easy to forget they're an official school club with how friendly they are to each other.

"I want to join." I smile to Glimmer, which she responds to with a wide smile of her own.

\-------------------------

"We're in a bit of a rush tonight. See you guys tomorrow." Mermista waves to us and walks to the front gates, dragging Sea Hawk behind her.

"Are you accepting my offer? I'll find us a nice private space perfect for the two of us." Mermista just ignores him. and continues to drag him away. The team starts to pack up the equipment. I hand a volleyball to Kyle and turn around to see Entrapta jumping in excitement behind me.

"How was your first training session, Adora? It's a lot of fun, I know. Just wait until we go up against the other teams in the tournament."

"It was really fun. But I'll be honest, Entrapta, I'm suprised you are even doing a sport. I expected you to be in some nerdy club or working on fighting robots."

"Oh, fighting robots! Good idea." She scribbles down in a journal that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "A nerdy club? The clubs at this school that you consider 'nerdy' don't actually do anything. They just talk about science. I'm more interested in creating science." She gestures with her hands as her hair continues to write in the journal.

"Okay, but why volleyball." She seems to ponder the question.

"Hmm. Well, the team work is incredible. They seem to be able to work together despite not making any prior arrangements other than drills. It's almost like they can read each others minds. Oh, that's an interesting idea." She adds that into the journal.

Team work. It's such a simple concept but I feel at times it can lose its meaning. When was the last time I even played a team sport anyways?

"Great work today everyone. It was pretty good and a welcoming one for Adora. See you all tomorrow." Glimmer waves to the team with Bow as they walk off. The team talk to each other for a bit longer.

"I'm going to head home. It was nice meeting all of you." I walk to the front of the school. I turn around the corner to a familiar face.

"Hey, Adora." Once again I see the trademark smirk on Catra's face. "How are your new friends?"

"Good, interesting training session. Wait, have you been waiting here this whole time." We start walking down the street.

"Yeah, I made myself busy. Anyways, what are your thoughts on the new sport?" Her tail brushes against my arm. Something was off.

"Fun, more than I expected." I look down to her and realise she isn't even looking at me. She's fiddling with her clothes and looking at the ground. "My place?" It was the only way I knew how to cheer her up. I'm not sure what made her upset but asking her won't get me anywhere. She normally tells me when she feels like it. She finally looks up to me smiling.

"Of course." Her tail taps my chest. "I'll race you." Without warning she runs ahead.

"Hey, get back here. I'm going to win anyways." I run after her.

"No you won't~" We spend the rest of the afternoon running past each other laughing and teasing each other. In the pit of my stomach I understand Catra feeling upset, though I'm unsure why. All I know is something doesn't feel right.


	2. Impossible Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora is building her friendship with Glimmer and Bow, but things with Catra have started to change.
> 
> She doesn't know what to do and wants things to be okay.

"That'll do everyone." Glimmer blows into a whistle. The team gathers around the captain for our end of training discussions. "Good job. Adora, you seem to be getting the hang of volleyball already. Entrapta, you're starting to learn how to control the strength behind your passes. Sea Hawk, this is a team sport. No need to try and do everything." Sea Hawk seems offended.

"But Glimmer, what would be of this team if I were not here? I simply cannot stand still while you need my expertise." He moves around as if he's in battle, fist balled in the air. He quickly glances to Mermista, who looks unimpressed with her arms crossed. Sea Hawk readjusts his posture and clears his throat. "As you wish. Less me, more team."

"That's everything, let's pack up and head home." Everyone is close to each other, laughing and making jokes. I can't help but feel like an outsider. Days ago I had only made small talk with the team and now I see them every other day. Glimmer and Bow seem to be discussing something when Glimmer nods for me to go over to them.

"Adora, we were wondering if you wanted to do something this weekend. It'll be us three." Bow has an arm around Glimmer's shoulder, his hand balled into a fist at his chest. An odd position to be in, but his friendly smile makes it almost natural.

"Do something this weekend?" Today is a Thursday so there was still time to decide. I never really hung out with anyone other than Catra outside of school. "I'll ask if I can come." My parents will say yes, I already know that. I guess I was going to ask Catra if I could, though she shouldn't care either. We hang out every other day. Do I even need to ask her?

"Awesome!" Glimmer and Bow high-five each other, doing some sort of friendship handshake. "Text us when you can. I'll text the details soon."  

\---------------------------------------------------------

"So I was thinking maybe later we can go out to the lake next to the shops. I'm pushing you in. Actually, we should go for a swim. Wait, I hate swimming." Catra is pacing around my room brainstorming, tapping her lips in thought. "New plan, we should- Who texted you?" I lay on my bed looking at my phone.

"Bow. He and Glimmer invited me out this weekend to do something. Looks like they want to go shopping." Catra stands still staring at a wall, glancing at me but her gaze quickly returning to the wall. "Saturday, at 11. I think we're having lunch together and they might be watching a movie. It's a late movie so I don't think I'll go." I sigh, dropping my phone next to me. Catra pounces on me, putting her finger to my forehead. 

"So I'm still coming over Saturday night, right?" She narrows her eyes, causing me to overthink her words. Our breathes filled the air and silence. I felt as if I was close to crossing a line. A line I want to know nothing about.

"Yeah, of course." I manage to say despite having no reason to hesitate. Our gaze lingers on each other, unsure what the other is thinking. She eventually takes a deep breath and gets off of me, moving to sit on the floor. Leaning against my bed, she taps her stomach with her tail. A slight hum escapes her lips.

"They've already started acting all friendly with you and invited you out, huh. It's only been a week since you joined." She says in a matter of factly tone, though I sense a hidden meaning behind her words. I sit up and watch to stare at nothing. I can't help laughing at the sight.

"Is someone jealous?" I tease while patting her head. She grits her teeth at the sudden conclusion.

"No. I'm not jealous." She snaps shaking her head. I continue to pet her giggling with glee. "Get off me!" Slapping my hand away she gets on her hands and feet. "Why- Why would I be jealous?" Her ears twitch as she notices me smirk at her stutter. She raises her chin away from my general direction. Annoyed, she mutters under her breathe, "Ugh, I'm not jealous." I cross my legs on my bed, leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees. My smile growing in amusement as she furrows her brow seeing it grow.

"It's okay, Catra. You're my best friend." Her expression stiffens hearing my words. "Nothing will change that." Her tail pauses in the air, her ear twitching. After a bit of what seems like thinking she groans, settling herself comfortably laying on the floor. I wasn't fond of the silence or lack of response. I struggle to think of something else to talk about. "So, we're going to the mall." Catra's ear twitches. Common behaviour when she hears something she doesn't like. "You know I don't like it there." I attempt to reassure her, but can sense some tension in her.

"I said I'm not jealous." She mumbles, loud enough to be heard. She crawls closer to me, sitting with her arms crosses in front of me. "I'm not stopping you from seeing them so quit it!" She snaps, baring her teeth at me. I sigh, suffocating in the atmosphere of the conversation. Pointing relatively behind her, I scream.

"Mouse!" She jumps to her feet trembling in her skin. Her tail is standing on end, her eyes dilated keeping watch.

"Ah- Where?!" She yelps, stuttering. Rushing to my side the girl grips my shoulder for support as she's squatting on the bed. I can't help hold my stomach in laughter at the sight. "That was one time, Adora. One time!" She stares into my eyes holding a finger in my face. I calm myself down wiping a tear from my eye. "It was that funny to you? You're so childish, scaring me over nothi-"

In that moment something crashes into the window behind us causing us to jump. We stare into the open night sky and the back of our neighbours house for a few seconds, processing what we heard. "Adora..." Her voice is quietly shaking, her grip on my shoulder tightening. 

"Don't worry, it was probably just a bird." I put a hand over hers. She calms her breath and nods. Her expression shifts to a frown while thinking over my words.

"Hey! I'm not worried." She swats my hand off hers and crosses her arms, purposefully facing the wall

"Oh sure," I say with a smirk. She scoffs and turns her head away from me, then changes her demeanor to look back to the window.

"It's getting late. I should probably head home," she sighs. She gets up looking around the room for her jacket. I nod and playful salute her with a puffed chest.

"Okay. Don't die." I grin at her widening her eyes at me. She clamps her teeth together, snarling through them.

"I won't!" Clearly panicked, she bolts out the door. I'm left to think over the events that just happened. Confusion sets into my mind by Catra's unfamiliar behaviour. I don't have to ask her to hang out with people and I'm seeing her for the rest of the weekend, but she still seemed upset. I'm not doing anything wrong, am I? I've never really met Glimmer and Bow outside of school. I hope everything will be fine.

\---------------------------------------------------------

"Adora! Over here!" I look up from my phone and see Bow waving to me, Glimmer next to him. "Good to see you."

"Yeah, you too." I reply, quickly greeted into a warming hug. After Bow lets go of me Glimmer takes charge of the situation.

"Okay, now that we are here, where to first? It's still early to have lunch so-" 

"Oh My God. Is that what I think it is?" Interrupting Glimmer, Bow points to a mannequin through a shop window which is wearing a white crop top with rainbows and a unicorn print on it. "It's beautiful." He cups his cheeks, eyes sparkling. "I have to have it." He starts to jog on the spot in excitement before dashing towards the store. Glimmer sighs.

"And off he goes. Looks like we are starting there." We laugh at the boy who just entered the store and is in awe. While walking towards the store we hear him squeal.

"There's flowers on the back?" When we see him next, he has at least five articles of clothing in his arms. "Everything here is so cute. They have hats!" Something behind us grabs his attention. I can't help but laugh at how different we are. Glimmer has joined in the fun, picking shirts that she thinks would look good on Bow and on her.

"Hey, look at this one, Adora. This would look good on you." Glimmer holds a shirt up to my torso, Bow behind her nodding his head.

"That looks great." Bow slips a hat on me. I sigh, unsure of what to do. "I'm going to try these on." 

"Okay, let's go." Glimmer nods, scanning the store for anything else. The two goes to the back of the store. "Adora."

"Me- Me too?" I stutter, confused. She grabs my wrists and tugs on it.

"Yes, you too. We have to show each other our outfits. Come on." She drags me along with her to the dressing rooms. Something like trying on clothes with friends wasn't new to me. Catra always picked out clothes for me despite not being obsessed with fashion. She was always experimenting with her ideas on me. Though her style is totally different compared to these two who have been acting like they are in a fashion show with all the clothes they're trying on, even striking poses. "Yes, Bow! Stunning." Glimmer cheers on as Bow almost acts like a supermodel. After the show, the two pay for their clothes as I stand by.

"You aren't going to buy anything, Adora?" Bow gasps, as if he's offended.

"I'm not much of a shopper." Bow widens his eyes at my statement.

"No way. You don't shop? But the clothes. The trying on the new clothes. The 'buying things you don't need but they're cute' frenzies. You don't have them?" Bow's shoulders are drooping with an expression of disbelief on his face. I slowly shake my head.

"Ugh, my mum's going to kill me." Glimmer groans as she approaches us after paying for her clothes.

"Aw, but they're cute." Bow waves to her with a smile. 

"She's always telling me You buy too much." Glimmer says in a mocking voice. We start to aimlessly walk around the mall. "Whatever, where to next?"

"Hmm, who knows. What's the time?"

"12:52"

"Did we seriously spend that long in that one store?"

"You two did spend a lot of time posing and taking pictures."

"Listen, my Instagram game is looking good." 

"I'm hungry, let's go eat."

\---------------------------------------------------------

Looking for the ball in the air I plant myself under it ready to spike it Bow, waiting for the ball next to the net. I spread the tips of my fingers out ready for the ball to fall on them. "Bow." I call to him. Nodding, he stabilises his stance as I send the ball flying towards him. Its path is sent over the net towards the opposition. Sea Hawk tuts, digging the ball back into the air towards Perfuma standing next to him.

"Weak, Bow. We'll show you a strong play." Perfuma's pass to Rogelio near the net is stronger and faster than I expected from her seemingly fragile build. A strong hit from Rogelio sends the ball spinning to the ground, completing round. Bow stomps to the net staring Sea Hawk down.

"I'm not weak. Another round." Sea Hawk approaches the net, staring him down with a smug determination. The two banter back and forth over the superior position. Our captain can only sigh once more over the rivalry.

"Bow, switch out with Mermista." Bow turns to face her trying to object as his  rival laughs at him.

"Now?" He slumps down. A burst of confidence runs through him as he stands upright. "When I return, I will win this war." Sea Hawk smirks at the resolve.

"I'm looking forward to it." The two nod to each other. Bow walks off, replaced by Mermista trying to hide a smile at the idea of beating Sea Hawk despite his big talk. Kyle collects the ball from our side of the court and rushes to the other side for their server, Perfuma.

"Thank you, Kyle." She gently takes the ball out his hands. She spins the ball in her hands to position it for a comfortable toss in the air. Every player adjusts their balance ready for the next play. Perfuma peforms the serve like clockwork, the same motions each time without missing any beats. Throw the ball up, few steps forward, jump, hit it over the net. Rogelio flashes a thumb to her.

"Nice serve." Those words earn a smile from her, though pretty much all her serves were flawless. Ignoring the exchange, Glimmer takes charge of srategising.

"Adora," Hearing this I link my arms for a dig. "back to me." I readjust my position to right under the balls path with my hands in the air. Glimmer continues on with her brief plan. "Mermista, I'll-" I push the ball further behind me as it lands on the tips of my fingers. Mermista nods and interrupts, already understanding what to do.

"Got it." She sinks low watching the ball travel from me to just in front of Glimmer. Her hand intertwined as mine were originally, she reaches forward towards the ball. It falls just above her wrists. She lifts the ball with as much power as she can. The travel to Mermista was quick. Swift steps lead the ball to be planted to the ground on opponents side. Glimmer smirks triumphantly, pumping a fist into the air.

"Score." Banter ensues between the team without much play happening. The certain way everyone acts with each other despite the clear difference in personalities. This made it easier for me to slip into their discussions. 

Entrapta is stroking her chin while eyeing Perfuma out of pure interest and deep in thought. "You've been on the team longer than I have, meaning you'd statistically be better than I am," she comments, nodding to herself. Her eyes brighten up as she brings herself closer to Perfuma, her hair holding her up face to face with her. "But I'm curious as to how you perform your serves flawlessly." She flinches at the close distance blinking at her excited expression.

She takes a breath, "I'm not sure, really. I've just been able to figure out how to effectively hit the ball." Entrapta narrows her eyes as if inspecting her words. Startled, Perfuma arches back letting an "Um," escape her lips.

Satisfied with the supposed interrogation she steps back on the ground, smiling. "Interesting," she pulls a voice recorder to her mouth staring at the ground deep in her thoughts. "It seems that Perfuma has a natural talent for serving the ball. In my month of being on the team I have yet to see her miss the mark." She can only let out a dry laugh in response.

I take the opportunity to stand next to her to watch the girl on a tangent, pacing back and forth. "There's always something new everyday." I chuckle at the thought. 

"I sometimes wonder how that's so." She sighs, rubbing her temple. Her expression softens into a smile watching her continue interracting with her own thoughts. "I can't complain with her curious nature, though." I look to her as she continues, "Ever since she's joined the team she has been able to identify everyone's strengths and weaknesses. I think she discusses them with Glimmer and Bow during one of their classes." 

I hum trying to connect the dots. Glimmer and Bow are in my homeroom class, though Bow shares more classes with me than I do with Glimmer. I share few classes with Entrapta, none of which include the two together. The classes that don't include them are history and social studies. I sit next to Entrapta during history which leaves the latter a possible time for their discussions. 

"Aha! Hypothetically, if Perfuma can serve well, she can perform an exceptional hit. Reasons for this conclusion is both plays include a powerful blow of an open palm." Her thoughts are finally clear, eyes gleaming as she talks. She continues on glacing at the others but neverthe less jumping in excitement. "I need to discuss this discovery to captain and co, but if my theories are confirmed then we may have another powerful frontline player on our side, making up for the times either Rogelio or Bow are not on the front line giving us a huge advantage." A grin forms on Perfuma's face.

She acts as though it's a definite fact, though I can't wrap my gead around an sort of connection between the a serve and a hit.

Perfuma seemed satisfied, though, "If what she's saying is true, I'll be more helpful when I'm in the frontlines. I was getting worried that I'd only be good at serving." Entrapta is skipping to Glimmer trying to explain the overcomplicated version of her conclusion. 

Her words process in my mind before I can retaliate. "Wait, that's not true. What do you mean that's the only thing you're good at?" She tilts her head down to me shrugging.

"When the team rotates I'm bound to end up on the front line. When you're there you face the ball, attacking and defending." A mandatory rule that in thought is fair: Each time a team wins a point or before they start the serve, the serving team rotates clockwise. Every player gets a chance to play every position. "If I can peform hits well like Entrapta says, I'll be more valuable on the front lines." Her hands are linked at her chest. 

I rest a hand on her shoulder, smiling. "You'll do great, as long as you put your all into it." Confidence overtakes her face as she nods at me.

"I will."

\--------------------------------------------------------

I mentally prepared for the dramatic introduction. The smirk that somehow put me off everytime I saw it. The casual demeanor that followed.  I take a deep breath, not that it would change my reaction as I'll instantly lose it anyway. 

I round the corner to find Catra leaning her back against the wall, a foot propped on the wall. A hand stashed away in her pocket, her thumb dancing along her phone with her other. I take steady steps forward confused. Her ear twitches hearing my steps.

"Oh, hey," she said simply, raising her empty hand to wave. I smile and raise an eyebrow, waving back, ignoring the sinking feeling hidden inside. 

"Hey." She pushes herself off the wall and starts walking by my side.

"How was today?" A habit she got into when I started a new sport was to ask how it went. She deducted from my responses whether or not I was having fun or the sport suited me. 

"Good." She glanced at me, encouraging me to elaborate. "Entrapta might have found a hidden skill that Perfuma can use when she's up front," I summarise. 

Her behaviour is clouding my mind as she simply hums. There's no other way to really describe her responses other than simple. It put me off more than I'd like to admit. She hardly took her eyes off her path save for the few glances in my direction. 

"So what did you do while waiting for me?" My tone was higher than anticipated, probably from being anxious. She shrugs a stretches backwards.

"Just walked around. It was awfully peaceful today." Though she smiled, my heart ached at the emotion she was hiding behind it.

I was desperate to ask Hey, what's wrong? but no matter how much I tried, I couldn't do it. I was left to my judgement, for better or worse. I couldn't pin when it had started exactly or why. Our walks had grown more and more quiet with each passing week. We still visited each other and stayed the night, but our playful fights turned into normal hanging out. Despite it being normal, doing it with Catra of all people was strange.

Before I knew it, I was standing in front of my house making small talk with my best friend. "See you tomorrow." I wave before inserting the house key into the front door. 

"Don't oversleep on me tomorrow." A smirk on her face as I looked over my shoulder at her. I groan, making sure she can hear me from the street.

"That was one time, Catra." She laughs, waving back to me as she walks along the road. I sigh as I enter my home. "I didn't ask, again." I whisper to myself while I lean against the front door. "Nice one, Adora." I bury my face into my hands. "You're great. You can't even ask a stupid question to your best friend." I exhale into my palms. 

I feel my jacket for my phone, checking the message sent to the volleyball group chat from Bow. I watch most of the team respond enthusiastically. I pocket the phone away, ignoring the texts and heading straight for the stairs to my room.

I lay in the dark on my bed contemplating whatever thoughts ran through my head, not bothering to filter the negative from the positive. Among those thoughts was guilt circling back to the texts. Whether it was guilt for ignoring the texts or the realisation that came with it didn't matter anymore. I made my choice not to go out with them this week, the fourth week in a row since the first time they asked. My weekends were packed with one day for the team and the other for Catra, her getting the Sunday in which I was tired from whatever we did the day before. 

I sent the text, 'Sorry guys, can't come this week. Things have come up,' earning the response, 'Don't tell me you have a boyfriend,' from Bow. I snicker, willing to play along before he sends the next message. 'More important than the best friend squad?' My smile fades away, lost along with my ability to think clearly.

There would be no way for him to understand the weight behind that term he coined for us. Us being me, him and Glimmer. Constantly meeting them week after week gave him that impression. I didn't have the heart to tell him that Catra was, in fact, my best friend and always has been. I wouldn't trade her for anyone, not our close friends, not those two, and especially not anyone else from our childhood. She knew of our promise. I never want to break that promise.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't expect me to update this often, I have no motivation 90% of the time. If you enjoy let me know cause that will help me update this.


End file.
